The Paperboy

The Paperboy (2012)

Directed by Lee Daniels

107 minutes

 Not even Oscar winning Matthew McConaughey and his recently ‘approved’ roles helped The Paperboy (Daniels 2012).If anything it was the ending I enjoyed most. Not because it was ending, but it changed from excessive John Walters aesthetics to realism when convicted killer Hillary Van Wetter (john Cusack), becomes his monstrous identity. Prior to this, The Paperboy is extreme. Like the tagged controversial moment chain -smoking Barbie doll Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman), pees on her toyboy Jack Jansen (Zac Efron). He happens to be reading Lolita; she is dressed in Loita-esque glasses. If you didn’t work it out, the reverse is happening. Charlotte is notably older (playing a 40 something) Jack is younger (in his twenties). It’s a shame when a director treats audiences like dupes. At this stage of the film we have already seen cum shots, Ward’s (McConaughey) secret interest for cock (it’s pretty damn obvious), and Charlottes crutch that the pee scene had nowhere to go but be a part of Daniels’s juvenile Zak Synder moment. This makes The Paperboy bad, not like, it’s so stupid it’s good. We can all excuse a good bad film like The Room (Wiseau 2003) or the master, Ed Wood (Plan 9 From Outer Space 1959). 

The Paperboy has a budget much greater than these notorious cult films. Resorting to clichés’ and gratuitousness along with an impeccable casting seems like lazy filmmaking?

The Paperboy has roving camera work and uses a non-linear format, changing from flash- forwards to flashbacks. We meet Anita Chester (Macy Gray) telling her story about the local redneck Sheriff Thurmond (Danny Hanemann) and his murder. Thurmond previously stomped Hillary’s handcuffed cousin to death, and in his own fate, believed to be an act of revenge Hillary is accused of the crime.  Hillary is jailed and awaits excursion.

Anita is connected to the narrative and the film’s final outcome because she knew the victims. In past tense she was a nanny for the Jansen family in the 60s who distribute the local newspaper Miami Times and flippantly say the N word whenever possible. The eldest son Ward is a Journalist, and younger brother Jack a paperboy. The brothers peruse Hillary’s case believing there are some loose facts and want to help spare a life.

We also meet Charlotte who has a fetish for inmates. She’s been writing to Hillary believing he is a gentleman and innocent. Charlotte teams up with the Ward brothers hoping he’ll be released so they can get married. However, Jack falls in love with Charlotte and Charlotte begins to feel the same way. He is both attracted to her sexually and subconscious as a mother figure. After they become intimate and Hillary‘s conviction is thwarted he is released. Although Charlotte is having second thoughts, they still get married as planned, until of course it too late.

Besides a predicable outcome and mis-en scene that screams at you. It was a shame to see such a well acted film go to waste. The Paperboy uses sexism, racism and class during the 60s with stereotypes, plenty of soul music and bouffants. Showing us these cruelties and imagery can be delivered easily enough without too much thought.